Likened to most bands that ever donned a frown and a trench coat, it can be easy to pigeon hole Editors. Cue comparison to Interpol… But go back over their now six album strong portfolio and you’ll find an intelligent evolution of sounds, from a band who arguably defined their own genre rather than being pulled down by the indie rock undercurrent or slipping into store bought comparisons. NME tried once, with a description I won’t bother to repeat, but with Editors the old adage is the best – the music speaks for itself.

Returning to the venue they opened back in September 2009 (queue jumping The Twang and Ocean Colour Scene to christen the O2 Academy Birmingham’s new Bristol Street main stage) Editors are on the road promoting Violence – the nine track hybrid of dark rock and electronica, with the thumbprints of razor edged pop that the band do so well. Cue comparison to Depeche Mode…

Released in March 2018 through PIAS Records, Violence has Editors sharing the production credit with Leo Abrahams – the guitarist and producer who has played with Imogen Heap, Pulp and Ed Harcourt, and produced artists including Carl Barât, Frightened Rabbit and Paulo Nuiti.

The album’s lead single, ‘Magazine’, was released to favourable reviews in January – a track that had been bouncing around Editors’ songbook since The Weight of Your Love, but has only found it’s home with the new ensemble. Further singles ‘Hallelujah (So Low)’ and ‘Darkness at the Door’ were released in February and April respectively, with the album’s latest single and opening track, ‘Cold’, released in October.

The O2 Academy Birmingham ‘homecoming’ gig sold out back in August, not a huge surprise. But there are more UK dates across October if you have the desire and designated driver free to get there – and if you live in mainland Europe, Editors will no doubt be on a festival bill somewhere near you soon.